Are you sitting down? No? Well, maybe you should- uh- LAY down for this. It's about to get delicious. That's right. These are potatoes. You can mash them, slice them, french fry them, but until 1853, no one knew you could crunch them (that's right, Mr. Potato Head, you are pretty versatile). Our pal Thomas Jefferson is credited with bringing french-fried potatoes back to the states from France, where they were eaten ever-so-daintily with a fork (how very proper). And as the story goes, that's exactly what George Crum fried up for a guest at the fancy-pants Moon Lake Lodge Resort in Saratoga Springs, New York. The guest (who some say was railroad tycoon Cornelius Vanderbilt) actually sent the french fries back into the kitchen, complaining that they were too soft and too thick. Well this got Chef George a bit ruffled, so he sarcastically sliced another potato as thin as he possibly could. Oh- and then he fried the slices until they were crunchy and golden brown. And then he covered them in salt. Take that, Mr. Picky! Thinking this to be a fitting rebuke, the crispy plate was sent back to that guest with a smirk. But turns out- they were great! And that's how the newly-named Saratoga Chips soon became the most popular item on the menu (sorry Mr. Potato Head). And although Mr. Crum never patented his tasty treat, the free market (and couches across the nation) turned the potato chip into a worldwide phenomenon that now rakes in over $15 billion per year.

Illuminating Moments in American History
From the accidental invention of the microwave to the love story of rubber gloves, these 68 animated video shorts (shadow puppet style!) chronicle the history of unexpected American innovation.

Produced, written, and directed by Nathan Marsh. Art and Animation by Joel West and Isaac Windham. Sound by Scott Sprague. Narration by Carol Munse.